The 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks warrants a thoughtful review of America's progress and future strategy. In this
RAND Review cover story, RAND experts offer perspectives on Afghan-led solutions, ways to counter al Qaeda, air passenger security, and compensation for those affected by terrorism.
Despite al Qaeda's increasing use of the Internet to attempt to radicalize and recruit homegrown terrorists in the United States, the turnout has been tiny and mostly inept.
As India and China continue to grow in prominence, each nation has certain advantages, but neither one is primed to have clear across-the-board competitive advantages over the other.
Asbestos bankruptcy trusts—created to compensate people injured by the mineral—may be influencing tort cases. The current way that the trusts and the tort cases are linked together may result in payments that are not consistent with the basic principles of the tort liability system.
A sustained focus on Afghanistan at all levels of the U.S. government is needed for the United States to make the most of its limited influence on the complex Afghan peace process.
The existing subnational government across Afghanistan is too centralized and weak to fulfill two basic requirements of legitimacy: effective service provision and representation. Opportunities for improvement are outlined for international actors hoping to strengthen local government in recently cleared areas.
Older women who live in a lower socioeconomic status neighborhood are more likely to exhibit lower cognitive functioning than women who live in more affluent neighborhoods—regardless of their own education level or income.
Biomass is an increasingly important source of electricity, heat, and liquid fuel. One near-term option for using it to generate electricity is to cofire biomass in coal-fired electricity plants. Factors to consider are plant-site modifications, changes in operations, costs, and logistical issues with delivering biomass to the plant.
An innovative econometric approach developed by RAND Europe allows researchers to estimate crime rates and the number of police officers needed to control crime in Britain, and offers local governments the opportunity to consider how to save money on policing while still maintaining public safety.
A projection of working-age populations through 2050 informs an analysis of how demographics influence manpower, national income and expenditures, and human capital—and how changes in these factors may affect the ability of states to carry out military missions.
An analysis of the pre-attack behaviors of the most significant Jihadist terrorist groups in the UK found that there are certain distinctive behavioral characteristics displayed as a result of planning, preparing, and implementing an act of terrorism, but more research will be needed to identify "signal indicators."
Testimony presented before the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee provides an overview of RAND's extensive research on how deployment affects service members and their families. Issues addressed include combat-related stress, psychological injuries, willingness to reenlist, and the impact of parental deployment on children.
A new collection of essays by experts from the RAND Corporation examines America in the decade since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, focusing a critical eye on the nation's actions since the attacks and outlining changes in strategy needed to improve efforts against jihadist groups.
Continuing tensions between Arab and Kurdish communities in Iraq could lead to inadvertent armed conflict unless Iraqi leaders resolve outstanding disputes regarding federalism, the legal and political status of disputed territories, and the management of northern Iraq's oil and gas resources.
Former Taliban and other insurgents provide an invaluable source of information on their previous colleagues, and can ultimately cause momentum to shift toward counterinsurgent forces. Steps can be taken to increase the likelihood of reintegrating fighters into their communities.
The set of computer-interpretable identifiers currently used in electronic prescribing does not support the specific needs of prescribers and pharmacists. RxNorm, a rigorously derived system of drug identifiers that more accurately reflect the prescriber's intent, has potential to improve e-prescribing transactions.
A New York City program designed to improve student performance through school-based financial incentives for teachers did not improve student achievement, most likely because it did not change teacher behavior and the conditions needed to motivate staff were not achieved.
BRIGHT is a group cognitive behavioral therapy program for individuals with depression and co-occurring alcohol or drug use problems. It can be delivered by non-mental health practitioners, thus providing treatment to those who often do not receive it.
Over the past decade, U.S. Marine Corps intelligence has had to tailor its organization to meet the evolving demands of the operational environment. A broad review of its design examined how to align it efficiently and effectively with current and future missions and functions.
If "strategic communication" as a term is too vague or becomes politically untenable, abandon it. Just do not allow the underlying effort to coordinate government impact on the information environment to be lost too.
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